, 1887-12-24
THAT HIGH FRENCH TOWER.
The idea Abandoned Because workmen
Would Not &C So Far Up.


Would Not Go So Far Up.
No feature OF the place for the great
exposition of 1889 was so much talked of
as the gigantic tower, 1000 feet high, or
twice the height of the pyramids of
Egypt, designed by NJ. Eiffel, engineer of
the department of arts and manufactures.
Since the tower of Babel nothing of the
same character has been attempted, and
it was thought hat scientific progress
would permit the descendants of those
whom God dispersed because of their i'm
piety to carry out a similar design. The
idea was to make an iron base, composed
of four pyramids, each pyramid fifty feet
n side. These pyramids were to be
separated from each other by a space of
300 feet, and for stability to be anchored
in solid masonry. At n distance of $50
feet above the ground these pyramids
were to be united by n gallery fifty feet
wide; the gallery, covered with glass,
was to be reserved for the restaurants,
soirces, etc.
The next story was to have n room
covered with glass, and this room was to
be 100 feet square. Thu whole was to b.
surmounted by a glass dome, surrounded
by n terrace, and from this terrace the
exposition was to be lighted with cleo
iNiAJ IL 10 INV IlO" ~ bliIC lLlh llnS
tower was the idea of Lockroy, ex-min-
lister of mme and director of the
exposition. He searched for the exposi-
tons greatest attraction and found a
tower. The four colossal pyramids may
be seen at the Champs de Mars, but we
fear that all who visit Paris in 1889 for
the purpose of viewing the triumph of
metallurgical art will be sadly disap-
pointed, for the tower will never be fin
ished. Money is not lacking, for the en-
thusiastic French would subscribe any
amount to possess the highest tower in
the world, but the difficulty lies In the
errors of calculation. For $50 feet, until
h first platform, there will be no OBJ
stacle, but the tower will then only rival
Notre Dame.
Should it reach the second platform its
appearance would be most fantastic, but
workmen cannot be found willing to go
beyond n certain point. There has been
n plan for the importation of negroes and
Cinnamon, but they might not DO more
willing than the French to hazard their
lives. 1t was decided to inform the
timid negroes or Cinnamon that a scaffold-
ing would protect them from all danger,
but these plotters forgot that these poor
negroes and Celestials would be obliged
to construct the ~scaffolding themselves.
During the Franco-Prussian wal q French
flag was planted on the spire of the Metz
cathedral. The flag remained until it
fell rag by rag, because not q German
soldier was willing to risk his life by
hauling it down. Besides, every tower
vibrates even in n moderate wind, and
because of the vibration at the great
height proposed, workmen would find it
impossible to rivet n piece of iron to
another.
What will be done2 you ask. Nothing,
only the tower will not be finished, and
we who hoped to reach the dome in an
elevator constructed like a Swiss railway,
and from this dome view the country for
100 miles around; we, who thought to
sec Compeigne and Rheims, Fontaine-
bleau and Charities, with the little vii
lagos, lost in the woods, and the rivers
wandering through the valleys-we must
content ourselves with n sight of Charen-
ton and Neuilly, Anteuil and Vincennes.
Instead of going seven times as high as
theC Column Vendome and standing 600
feet higher than the top of Mount Valer-
len, we shall probably find ourselves
looking up to the Trocadero tower of the
Arc de Triomphe.-Paris Cor. Chicago
Times.